Sunday, March 29, 2009

Messing around

Everything around here was looking a little too pretentious. Too neat. It didn't look like anyone lived here. So, I didn't do any housework this weekend. I sort of missed the old squalor, dusty mantles, a TV screen where you could write your name on, dog hair everywhere, plants begging for a drink of water, a grubby tub and shower doors, a fridge with food that was trying to escape to a better home. So I let it be. I should take two more weeks until we get back what we lost with the neatness.

I've got tax time coming up in May so, it's everyone for themselves. I have successfully ignored another year of bookwork for Gord's business, so it's that time again my friends, time to "Cook the Books." We are not talking about getting a tax return in, I'm talking documenting everydamnthing!! Invoices, payables, and every teenie weenie receipt Gord brings in for cash. My cupboard overflowest.

I should really write a "Cook the Books"..cookbook. because I'm getting good at it. And, because I always start so late, It should be called. "Cook a Year's Worth of Bookwork You Neglected In Less Than Two Days... Because You Were Too Busy Trying To Work Full Time, Clean The House, Do the Laundry, Make the Meals and Be Your Husbands and Dogs Mother. Phew...that should be quite some book. And a very long title.

My solution however, was to make a "Cook the Books"...a down and dirty Excel spreadsheet. It's no frills. Yes, I have a few formulas in there but nothing fancy. It gets the job done. If I used software like Quicken, it could take me a week to enter it all. Too many bells and whistles for me. We just have a small business, but a whole lot of paper....lord.

So, in the next week or so, my books will be simmering on the back of the stove while I try to cook them until they are done. Good gravy, you should see some of the receipts Gord brings in for a write off....oyvey......

It's not an easy life I lead. Wine helps.

We had a good chat with Hippy Chick today, she is designing our new house. So, that was exciting. I am very hesitant because I cannot envision a house plan on paper, I am visual only. If I see a house that has been built, I can imagine living there, but this shit on paper makes me nervous. I just want a small house in the woods...not too fancy, lots of light coming in, with a front porch and comfortable. Gord, however has bigger ideas. So, I see trouble arisin'....

Somebody is going to be living in the outhouse. But I could put up a mailbox there and the postman will still know his address and know where to send the bills to.

6 comments:

I need some Excel tutoring, except I don't have Excel, it's Open Office and supposed to be like Excel and those other programs, but I didn't know the others so I don't know this either. I'm jam-up with Peachtree though. :-)

You and Hippy Chick stay out the wine bottle while you're drawing up the house plans. :-)

Oh God Donna..no...never ever by hand. i just created a small spreadsheet where I can do everything that needs to be done without the crap. Our business is small..just Gord doing what he does, but it does generate a whole lot of paper at the end of the year to enter. If I had more time I would do it on a monthly basis, but I don't. So, during the Easter break I usually sit down and "hatch" up something the govenment might like.

JimBob...I'm thinking you are looking at Fargo ND. They are up to the rim..so to speak. All that crap is coming our way, but we have something called the floodway, which diverts the water around the city. Fargo is on high alert right now. They have over 2 million sandbags and more ringing their little city. The Red River is a shallow basin, and over the years most cities have built up dikes to keep them safe. In 1997 Grand Forks ND went down, and a lot of small towns leading to the north in Canada. Lesson learned. All propeties since them have been elevated to beyond predicted flood levels since then....so I'm not worried, but I sure was in 1997. That was a bitch, and almost flowed into the city. It was close.

I had looked up the bio of an old favorite author from days of yore (A.E. van Vogt) when I saw he was from Gretna, Manitoba.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._E._van_Vogt

Which raised the question of Where is that? ;-)

That's when I fired up Google Earth(It's about 1/2 mile across the border in MB.) and followed the river after being 'distracted' by the town of Red River, ND.

I was using the shadow of the poleat the corner of Manahan Ave and Hervo St as a reference point to the river due east across the Pembina Highway at a distance of 744.5 yards - or 2233.5 feet ifyou prefer - the elevation of theriver showed as 741 feet. The elevation of "the damned pole" shows as 748 feet.. I see the deversion channel now about 5.8 miles south...

I'm with you on wanting a wee house in the woods. I don't think I would even put in a lawn that had to be mowed, just let the woodland grasses and wildflowers grow and a big porch on the front and deck in the back with deep planters for tomatoes, and perennial flowers. I am getting too old for so much upkeep.

I have plans for my dream house in the woods--I have the woods, but will probably never have the house--therefore, it will remain my "dream house". You are lucky, IMHO, to be getting your new house. You are lucky and I am envious.